Manolo Blahnik turns 80 today, surrounded by professional success. The designer of luxury shoes for women has managed to enter the shoe rack of many royals, including Queen Letizia. The truth is it became what it is today by chance, since he started studying art and stage design in Paris, when his great friend Paloma Picasso introduced him to the then director of the Met Costume Institute, Diana Vreeland. Seeing Manolo’s sketches, the director saw that she was looking at a diamond in the rough, and encouraged him to try his luck as a shoe designer.
In 1971 he developed his first shoe for a show by the most relevant British fashion designer of the time, Ossie Clark. He opened his own boutique in Old Church Street (Chelsea) and invited some friends such as Bianca Jagger, Rupert Everett, David Hockney and Anna Wintour. To this day, he has become one of Spain’s greatest designers and his works have managed to cross our borders.
Prince Harry’s wife has in her collection one of the simplest models by Manolo Blahnik. These are slingback heeled shoes covered in a black satin fabric with a velvet polka dot print, which are called ‘Carolyne’ and cost 820 euros.
Her sister-in-law owns several pairs from the Canarian designer, but the ones in the photo are the most special, as she used them to pose in this portrait with her husband, Prince William. The Princes of Wales posed like this in their first official portrait, where we see Middleton in an emerald dress from The Vampire’s Wife brand, which she had already worn in 2020. As for shoes, she chose the Hangisi model, one of the most sought after by the royal family, which became very popular thanks to the television series sex in New York, in which Carrie Bradshaw wore them on her wedding day. Kate combined the dress and shoes in emerald green color. Kate’s ‘manolos’ are priced at 995 euros And they’re not the only ones you have in your shoe closet.
A few years ago, the Danish princess wore the same model as Kate Middleton, but in black. The royal opted for an all black dress with her ‘manolos’ with a black jumpsuit with tuxedo lapels and a belt from the firm Max Mara. The cut of the pants allowed us to see his fabulous Manolo Blahnik, without detracting from the diamond earrings worth more than 9,000 euros that completed his sophisticated outfit.
King Felipe’s wife has proven to be a big fan of the Canarian designer and has released several models of the company. A week ago we saw her with her slingback pumps in transparent vinyl and black leather, which are very much in fashion this season. This is the Gorianc Slingback Pumps 105 model, which is priced at 752 euros.
To celebrate the 73rd anniversary of Jordan’s Independence Day, Rania took one of Manolo Blahnik’s most spectacular models for a walk. It’s about some salons made with snakeskin gradient effect in shades of green, which combined beautifully with the rest of the looks like. Rania from Jordan is without a doubt one of the most stylish royals on the international scene.
Source: Marie Claire
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
